English and Psychology

English and psychology is a combination that brings together two of the most enduring attempts to understand human experience: one through the analysis of literature and the ways in which it constructs and reflects how we think, feel and live, the other through the scientific study of mind and behaviour. Literature is itself a form of psychological inquiry, and psychology provides frameworks for understanding processes, including cognition, memory, emotion and social influence, that are at work in the texts you read and the ways in which you respond to them. The combination develops both interpretive and analytical capacities, producing a graduate who can think carefully about meaning and about evidence.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time degree develops serious competence in both fields. The English component teaches you to read texts across genres and historical periods with precision and intellectual rigour, examining the ideas, human values and historical forces that shape literature and how readers engage with it. The psychology component builds your knowledge of the major areas of the discipline, including cognitive, developmental, social and biological psychology, alongside the research methods and statistics that are essential to psychological science.

A year abroad is built into the programme, giving you the chance to study at an international partner institution. Typical entry is around 200 UCAS tariff points.

Graduates from English and psychology combinations are well suited to a wide range of careers. The literary skills developed open doors in publishing, journalism, broadcasting, education and the arts, while the psychological training provides a foundation for further professional training in clinical, educational or occupational psychology and for roles in human resources, research, mental health services and public communications. The ability to move between interpretive and empirical modes of thinking is rare and genuinely valued across many professional contexts.

Further study in either discipline, or in related fields such as cognitive science, literary psychology or counselling, is a natural next step.